


So You’d Better Get The Party Started

by G0thVen0m



Series: Earth-1045 [1]
Category: Daredevil (Comics), Daredevil (TV)
Genre: Coming Out, F/M, Fluff, GNC Foggy Nelson, Identity Reveal, LGBTQ Themes, Secret Identity, Trans Female Character, Trans Matt Murdock, Trans Woman Matt Murdock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:14:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24921391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/G0thVen0m/pseuds/G0thVen0m
Summary: Over time, it becomes clearer and clearer that hiding from her truth isn’t a long term solution. So, she has to do the thing Murdock’s hate the most and confront her feelings.A series of vignettes of how Madeline Murdock came out as a transgender woman
Relationships: Matt Murdock/Franklin "Foggy" Nelson
Series: Earth-1045 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1850161
Comments: 6
Kudos: 59
Collections: Team Red Pride Bang





	1. Foggy

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my Team Red Pride Bang fic! I worked with so many fantastic authors and artists to make this happen! I'm so proud of what I've done for this fic. It draws from my own experiences as an nb trans man coming out to loved ones, and I want to thank the trans feminine folks who helped me out along the way. On that note, I am not a trans woman, and if any trans women take issue with something I've written and how I portrayed Madeline, I welcome criticism and advice on how to fix it!

The first person she ever came out to was Foggy, and it had been fantastically awkward. It had come late, late at night. Later at night than any human ought to be up, the perfect time to spill a long-kept secret.

* * *

They both sat on Foggy’s bed in their dorm. Foggy had been casually painting his nails, picking colors seemingly at random from the bin he kept the ever-growing collection of varnishes in. Matt was just listening to the clink of the glass bottles against one another and letting the smell of the nail polish waft through the room. Once upon a time, that smell had been absolute torment. Even sealed in their bottles it had been horrifically strong, invading every spot in their small room with no hope for escape. After two years of sharing a dorm with that smell, it faded into the background and became a part of the landscape known as ‘home’. God, sometimes it was too much still, the desire to reach out and take a bottle. Let that brush glide, guided by Foggy’s sure hands, leaving a smooth coat of color behind.

When they had first met, Matt had been blown away by Foggy’s confidence in shirking gender norms. Their first night in the dorm, Foggy had explained himself with no hesitation. Gender non-conforming. That’s what Foggy had called himself. He wore nail polish, skirts, and blouses with no hesitation and didn’t wear makeup because it felt odd against his stubble. Never once did he falter when anyone had something to say about it. Matt had been so envious, desperate to gain some scrap of that indomitable confidence. Except, maybe it wasn’t entirely the confidence Matt desired. Confidence was definitely something Matt wanted, but it was also the femininity Matt craved. That and something beyond femininity, womanhood. Matt wanted to be a woman. _Was_ a woman, really. Not that Matt was all that comfortable with that yet. 

It was a sudden, completely unexpected burst of confidence that had Matt turning towards Foggy to ask, “Foggy... Can I tell you something?”

“You know you can tell me anything, Matt. What’s Up?” He says. And shit, shit. Matt can’t just say nothing now, but the confidence is fading quickly. What to say, what to do…

“So, you know I was blinded with chemicals in an accident, right? Those chemicals actually had more effects than just blinding me..” 

* * *

So, the first go at coming out was a bit of an awkward failure, but Foggy had taken the superhuman senses thing bizarrely well. The man was unshakable, chill to levels previously unknown to mankind. But, there was still the issue of _actually_ coming out. Matt finally resolved to try again a month after letting the cat out of the bag on the issue of superhuman senses. Being a woman was mild in comparison to being chemically enhanced. That’s how Matt chose to think, at least. 

It was another late night in the dorm, Matt and Foggy laid together on Foggy’s bed. It was a tight fit between the two of them, but the closeness of it was reassuring. Matt could hear how Foggy’s heartbeat slowed down to a restful pace, his breath barely ghosting over Matt. The entire moment was peaceful and intimate. It was the perfect moment for a confession. Matt went for it.

“Foggy, I have something really important I want to tell you”

“Yeah? I’m listening” 

“I’m… I think I’m a transgender woman.” the moments after saying those words were still, like holding your breath underwater. Then Foggy farted and started laughing, and Matt started laughing too. They both laid there laughing far too hard for far too long, neither of them getting it together enough to speak

“I’m so sorry!” Foggy gasped out between peals of laughter “I just totally ruined it! I ruined the moment!” 

It took a few moments for Foggy to stop laughing and take a breath. He took Matt’s hand in his and paused, carefully considering his words before speaking, “Matt, you’re my best friend. Thank you for telling me this. And-” he started giggling again “ -I’m sorry for farting on your nice moment. So, where do we go from here?”

“I’m... not really sure. I don’t have a name or anything yet.”

“What if I start using she/her for you? Is that okay?”

She paused, thinking on it for a moment, “I’d like that, just between us two though. I’m not sure I’m ready to come out to anyone else yet…”

“That’s okay. So.. If I were to say ‘she’s my very best friend in the world, and her name is Matt Murdock’ would you like that?”

She smiled, “Yeah. Yeah, I like that.”

“Sorry if this is weird but, can I kiss you? You’re so beautiful right now and I want to kiss you.”

“Yeah”

And they kissed.

And it was good.


	2. Jack

She had been slow to tell anyone else about her transition, her first baby step had been letting her hair grow out. It had been nervewracking at first, years of training with Stick had taught her how dangerous it was to have anything an opponent could grab. That anxiety faded over time as she slowly learned the ins and outs of long hair. The first ponytail had been exciting, even if Foggy had called it a rabbit tail since the short tuft had just barely been long enough to wrap a ponytail holder around. The extra hair held a lot of warmth, it was pleasant as the colder months approached. It was curly, something she’d never known before. It had been about four months’ worth of growth when Foggy had pointed out the subtle curl that was starting to form. Ever since then she’d taken to grabbing a strand and curling it into a closed fist when she was nervous or overwhelmed. 

That exact habit was occupying her hands as she approached the gate to the cemetery where her dad was buried. Foggy held her arm reassuringly as they approached, but when they got to the gate he stopped, letting Matt go up to the grave itself alone. They had debated if he should be by her side or not when she went to talk to her dad, but ultimately there were some things Matt still wanted to do alone. Coming out to her father was one of those things.

Maybe some people would find it odd that she went to her father’s grave to come out to him, maybe some people would just assume that it didn’t matter. Matt had made a habit of coming to tell Jack about whatever major life event was upcoming, she had come to tell him when she graduated high school, when she graduated from college, and when she got into law school. Even if Jack couldn’t actually hear her, it was comforting to talk to him. Jack Murdock had been an attentive parent in life, always checking in on Matt to make sure everything was ok. Matt never got out of the habit of indulging his check-ins even when he wasn’t there to do it himself.

She kneeled in front of his grave, running her fingers over the lettering. It read “Jack Murdock” in large text and below it, “Lover, Fighter, Father”. The gym guys had helped to pick that, wrapping up everything Jack Murdock was in three words. 

“Hey, Dad” she whispered, “It’s me. I have something really important to tell you. It’s a big thing, really big.” 

She paused, feeling tears start to prick up in her eyes. She took a shuddering breath before continuing, “I’m scared, Dad. I’m scared because I don’t know what you’d think of me. I don’t know if this would change things between us and I’m upset that I’ll never know. Dad, I’m a woman. I’m transgender, that means the gender I am doesn’t match with my body. I’m starting medical treatments to change my body to match my gender better, that’s transitioning. It’s a good thing, Dad. I never- I never knew why I didn’t like my body, but now I know”

She leaned her head against the cool stone, bringing her hands up to grasp the upper edge. “I miss you, Dad. I miss you so much. I want you to be here, you were here for so many of my firsts. My first steps, my first words. Now I’m having so many firsts again, and you aren’t here to see them. I’m wearing my first ponytail today, Dad. I wanted to show you. I wanted to show you because I love you, and I want you to be here to celebrate with me”

She stayed kneeling by the grave for a few more moments after she spoke. It was difficult to get the whole spiel out, but she felt lighter somehow having done it. She stood up, brushing off the dirt on her pants, and walked back to the gate where Foggy was waiting for her. 

“Hey, how’d it go?” he asked.

“Good, I think? It was a little emotional.”

“I bet, do you want to go get some coffee or something and decompress?”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” she said, taking Foggy’s elbow.

She could have sworn she felt the familiar sensation of her father kissing her forehead as they walked away.

* * *

“Could you tell me about your dad?” They’re sitting at the table in their tiny apartment when Foggy asks that. Matt remembers thinks of when she’d found it in the trash while out on a walk, she’d led Foggy back to it and recruited him to help her drag it back home. She’d scrubbed the finish off of it when she’d cleaned the smell of the city out of it, but Foggy had taken the opportunity to flex his hardware skills and add a new layer of lacquer. It was nice to have something they’d picked together in their apartment, like a symbol of them together. It was something her dad would have loved. He hated seeing people throw good furniture, always complained that if one man didn’t want it, it could always go to someone else. He’d rescued quite a few of the items in their apartment from the trash. 

“He was practical.” she said, responding to Foggy after a contemplative pause, “He always managed to get 110% out of something, never let anything go to waste. He was excited when the city introduced a recycling program, he loved that other people were getting on board with what he’d been doing his whole life.”

“Well that sounds like someone I know, I think the only thing in this apartment you didn’t rescue from the trash was our bed!”

“You shouldn’t take soft things from the trash, you never know if there’s bed bugs or mold. Or anything else disgusting.”

“Wouldn’t you be able to tell if something was gross with your radar sense?”

“I guess, but wouldn’t it be awful if I was wrong?”

“Hrm, good point.”

“Anyways. I think the thing I remember most is how big he was. I thought maybe I remembered him being larger than he was since I was a kid, but when I asked I found out he was over 6 feet tall. So, he was a pretty big guy. He was real gentle though, people say he always seemed scared he’d hurt someone if he wasn’t careful.”

“Wasn’t he a boxer?”

“Well, that’s different, I guess.” she paused for a moment before continuing, “He loved boxing, but I don’t think it was much of a choice for him. I don’t think he ever got much of a chance to figure himself out. He came from a rough household, then he was married, then he had me. Then, yeah.”

“Right.”

There was an awkward pause before Matt cleared her throat and started again.

“This reminds me of something he used to do, actually. Whenever I had trouble sleeping he would read to me, we had a couple of books he’d rotate through but his favorite was  _ Madeline _ .”

“The book about the girl who gets appendicitis?”

“The very one.”

“Why was that one his favorite?”

“I have no idea, he just liked it. It made me think though, I’ve been considering a new name. ‘Matt’ still feels like me, but Matthew doesn’t. I wanted a name that ‘Matt’ could still be short for, and I thought Madeline sounded nice. What do you think?”

“Well it’s your name, but Madeline  _ is _ very pretty. What do  _ you _ think, Madeline?”

“Ah!” she blushed, ducking her head “Yeah, I like that. My name is Madeline, then.”


	3. Maggie

“Madeline, my love?” said Foggy, as Matt climbed in through their bedroom window

“Yes?” she responded

“I can’t stitch that for you, you need someone better at stitching than me for that.”

_ That _ was a stab wound. A small one, but one probably in need of more medical knowledge than a few youtube tutorials.

Matt shrugged at this, “Claire is out of town visiting her mom.”

“Maybe you should give your mom a visit then”

Matt gave a pointed look in Foggy’s direction, which was undermined by the fact that only the lower portion of her face was showing when most of the expression relied on eyebrows. 

“It’s the middle of the night, I shouldn’t wake Sister Maggie just because I have a boo-boo.”

“And I can’t kiss it better, Matt. It’s a stab wound. We can’t throw a bandaid on it and call it a night. Get out of your suit, I’ll throw a robe on and we’ll head to St. Agnes.”

* * *

That was how they ended up shuffling through the streets of Hell’s Kitchen at 1 am. It would have been romantic if it was not for the fact that they had to stop every few minutes to make sure Matt wasn’t bleeding too profusely. They chatted on the way about various topics to keep their minds off the absurdity of the situation they were in. Wondering if they should get a car (no, they didn’t usually need to travel far enough to justify the cost), or if they should get a pet (but most animals were too much for Matt’s senses), and whether or not they should come back for the bench Foggy spotted next to a dumpster (yes, because a bench is a good substitute for a couch once you throw a blanket over it).

They continued walking and talking the entirety of the short walk to the doors of St. Agnes, quietly making their way to the door nearest Sister Maggie’s room. Foggy pressed a kiss to Madeline’s cheek before turning to leave.

“I’m going to go get that bench we spotted. I’ll come back once I’ve got that home, that should be plenty of time, yeah?” He said, half-whispering.

“Yeah, plenty,” She said, listening as Foggy walked away quietly. She stood for a moment outside the door before pushing it open quietly and making her way inside. The walk to Maggie’s room was short, down a small staircase and through a short hallway. Matt had quietly made up her mind to come out to Maggie tonight. Their relationship was odd to most people, but Maggie had taken care of Matt throughout childhood, even if not as a mother. They were still navigating their unusual relationship with each other, but Matt counted the Sister as a close confidant. Someone worthy of knowing an intimate aspect of her life. 

Briefly, Matt hesitated outside Maggie’s door before knocking gently.

“Come in.” Said Maggie. Matt pushed the door open before speaking

“It’s me, I got lightly stabbed.”

“Hm. come in here and lay down on the bed. I’ll clean it up.” She could hear Maggie get up from her chair and start pulling out her kit of medical supplies casually. “Why’d you come here instead of to your usual girl? What was her name again?”

“Claire. She’s out of town, and Foggy didn’t feel confident enough to handle it himself. Also, there was something I wanted to talk about with you anyway, figured we’d get two birds with one stone.”

“How practical of you. Lay down as I told you. We’ll talk while I clean that up.” Matt obeyed, laying down and letting Maggie have access to the wound. They were quiet at first, not disturbing the peaceful night around them. Maggie carefully cleaned, numbed, and began to stitch the wound. “Not too deep,” she commented, “What was it you wanted to talk about?”

Matt took a quiet breath before opening her mouth, “It’s about who I am. A change.” she stopped, worrying her lip between her teeth for a moment before she started again, “Maggie, I’m transgender. A woman.”

“Oh?” Maggie stopped for a moment, pausing her stitching, “What does that mean? For you. I know what it means to be transgender.”

“It means that I’m transitioning. I go by a different name now, Madeline. Matt is still good, though. I use feminine pronouns. She, Her. those.”

“Hm.” Matt could feel Maggie tying off her neat stitches and covering the area with a bandage. “Stay there a moment.”

Matt sat up on the bed, listening as Maggie opened the wooden chest at the foot of her bed. She could hear the rustling of fabric and smelled dust being disturbed from long untouched items. 

“Come sit with me, Madeline,” Maggie said as she sat down on the wooden chest. Matt carefully walked over before sitting beside her. Whatever she had pulled from the chest sat neatly on the floor beside her. Maggie was quiet for a moment like she was thinking deeply.

“I know our relationship hasn’t been the best in the past. I wasn’t able to be a mother to you, but I do care for you. I never thought I would do this for someone, but I want you to have these.” she picked up a small box from the floor, passing it to Matt gently, “This is my jewelry box, your father bought me nearly everything in there. I’ve been hanging on to it for so long, but I can’t wear anything in there. I think it would be better if you had it.”

“Maggie, I don’t know what to say,” Matt started to speak, but Maggie cut her off.

“There’s something else,” she said, picking up a folded square of fabric. Matt gently took it from her, feeling the smooth fabric underneath her fingertips. The linen was soft and well-worn, like something precious and well-loved. “This is the dress I married Jack in. It’s simple, not even a true wedding gown, I know. I’d had it for years before that day. We didn’t have the money for a fancy ceremony, but I still remember how beautiful that day was. This dress, to me it’s a symbol of the love Jack had for me, and later for you. I want you to have it, to know that love. Madeline, I want you to take this.”

Matt was tearing up and from the smell of the air, Maggie was too. 

“Sister Maggie..” Matt started, getting choked up before continuing, “This is so beautiful. You don’t know how much this means to me. I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t need to say anything, Madeline. Just take it. I know I’m not the mother you needed as a child, but I can do this for you.” she said, taking Matt in a gentle hug. 

They stayed like that for a few moments until Matt spoke up, “I think Foggy’s here to walk me home, thank you for tonight. It meant a lot.”

“Of course”

Matt stood up to leave and was walking out the door when Maggie put a hand on her shoulder.

“Foggy is a nice young man, you should keep him around. You’re good together.”

Madeline thought about how Foggy had casually asked for her ring size earlier that week before replying.   
“I intend to do so.” She said.


	4. Team Red

Putting on the suit was a familiar ritual at this point in Matt’s life, pulling on the armor piece by piece. The devil would always be part of her, simmering just beneath the surface of her skin. Still, she used it for good to the best of her ability. Daredevil was a symbol of righteous anger, deferred justice, and of love for Hell’s Kitchen. Daredevil was part of Matt, and probably always would be. That was why tonight was significant to her, her first night out in a new suit. It wasn’t a major change, and most of the changes were for practicality. One could only wear a suit with a masculine cut for so long when estrogen was involved before it got uncomfortable. 

Honestly, the new suit wasn’t much of a change since it was almost entirely fit adjustments. Melvin had been incredibly helpful while altering the suit, making sure Matt was comfortable with every change he made. The suit was smoother now, while it still cut an imposing figure it had a softer edge to it with the armored padding sitting closer to the skin.

The new suit wasn’t the only thing that would be eventful tonight. She had planned on meeting with Spiderman and Deadpool for patrol tonight. They had a good working relationship and if a gun where to her head, Matt would admit they were her friends. Spiderman had started calling them Team Red, which was endearing. From Matt’s perspective, he seemed painfully young and somewhat naive. Even so, he was capable in a fight and his heart was in the right place. Deadpool was chaotic, sometimes a rogue agent, he never seemed to be on quite the same wavelength as those around him. Despite this, he was supremely efficient and not half bad conversationally. He did what Daredevil and Spiderman wouldn’t, whether that be for better or for worse. Matt had grown to trust them, she trusted them enough to reveal her identity to them.

It had been a good patrol, the streets of New York were relatively quiet for once. It was a warm night with a welcome cool breeze. Matt, Spiderman, and Deadpool sat together cooling off after a spat with some small-time thieves who’d been making trouble for a nearby bodega. The owner had given the three of them cool drinks as thanks for their help. They’d tried to politely refuse but the grateful man had passed over the bags, refusing to take them back. Admittedly, they were all fairly thirsty, and the drinks were pleasant. Some sweet, mango-flavored treat. Foggy would love it, she drank half and saved the rest to share with him when she got home. 

The moment was perfect, it almost reminded her of the night she came out to Foggy. That had been just a few years ago, but so much had happened since then. She extended her senses outwards to make sure no one was around to overhear them, blessedly the streets were quiet. Perfect. She turned in the direction of Deadpool and Spiderman before speaking.

“Hey,” she said, “I’m about to tell you two something private because I trust you two not to spread it around.”

“Wow, did it hurt for you to say that?” quipped Deadpool.

“What’s up Double-D?” asked Spiderman

She huffed a laugh under her breath before bringing her hands up to her helmet and swiftly tugging it off. Spiderman gasped in surprise as she did so while Deadpool shoved his hands over her face.  
“Woah, woah, woah! That is a big old superhero no-no!” Deadpool said. She batted his hands away until he reluctantly pulled his hands back into his own personal bubble.

“Relax, there’s no one and nothing around that can hear us up here,” she tapped her ear for emphasis, “I’d know if there was,” Deadpool grumbled about it being her funeral, but she disregarded him as she continued. “I want to introduce myself. My name is Madeline Murdock, I’m a lawyer from Hell’s Kitchen. I live there with my fiancé, and we run a law firm together.

“Woah,” said Spiderman, sounding genuinely awed. “Double D, thanks for trusting us so much… Um, My name is Peter Parker, I’m from Queens. Um, I have a side hustle selling photographs to the Daily Bugle..” He trailed off at the end like he didn’t know what to say next, she could practically hear him blushing under his mask.

“Aw kid, you’re real sweet.” She said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“This is no fair,” pouted Deadpool, “You both had a touching identity reveal, but everyone already knows who I am. Wade Wilson, the merc with a mouth. World’s sexiest contract killer.” He made a show of turning his nose up and facing away from Matt and Peter

“Well if that’s how you feel then I guess you won’t be wanting this,” She said, pulling two slips of paper out of a hidden pocket. Immediately Deadpool changed his tune, snatching one of the two slips out of her hand. He began to read it aloud.

“You are cordially invited to the wedding of Franklin “Foggy” Nelson and Madeline Murdock- Well, Shit DD! You’re getting hitched! To some dude named Foggy, damn you must love him if you’re marrying him when  _ that’s  _ his nickname”

“Yep, and you’re both invited. He ok-ed me having you two there as civilians if you want.”

“Woah, DD. I’ll be there, I promise! I’ll have to dig up my suit from prom, i hope it still fits…” Peter trailed off again, “Oh! Um, Congratulations DD! I’m happy for you!”

“Ugh, I’ll have to buy a suit. But I  _ do _ love a wedding, guess I’ll be there too.”

“We’ll be happy to have you. Now, I’d better get home. I’ve got a fiancé waiting up for me.” She said, putting her helmet back on. Both men present said their goodbyes before they all started on their way back home.

* * *

Foggy lay in bed reading when she got back, perking up a little as he watched her climb in through the window and start stripping out of the Daredevil suit

“Hey, babe, how’d your little rendezvous go?”

“Good,” she said, “they both agreed to come to the wedding”

“Aww, well next time you see them you should invite them over for dinner before we tie the knot, I’ll break out the good mac and cheese for them”

“Oh, rolling out the red carpet for our guests, I see!” she crawled into bed next to Foggy, “Oh, before I forget. Bodega owner gave us some drinks as thanks for chasing off some thieves, I thought you would like it so I saved some for you” she said, passing the bottle over for Foggy to inspect. He took a sip and nodded

“Yeah, It’s good. Pretty sweet,” She could hear the grin in his voice, “Reminds me of you. Orange and sweet.”

She swatted playfully at his arm before rolling over and closing her eyes. Foggy closed his book, turned off the light, and threw an arm around her as he settled in for the night.


	5. The World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short chapter to conclude my story, I hope everyone enjoyed. I'm also including the absolutely stunning art done by puffins-studio on tumblr (they also provided the image descriptions, which was truly appreciated!). It's truly amazing to see my fic brought to life, I hope everyone enjoys!
> 
> To see detail shots of the artwork look here : https://puffins-studio.tumblr.com/post/622041046867656704/here-a-new-art-piece-i-did-for-the-team-red-pride

Madeline stood on her own outside the church doors, waiting for her cue to walk down the aisle. Everyone she cared about was inside, the steady sound of their heartbeats was comforting her even as she stood anxious. Everyone had said she looked beautiful in her mother’s wedding dress, that the vintage style suited her well. Her hair had been done up in a braided bun, and she wore Maggie’s old jewelry. It wasn’t fancy, but it felt right on her. She never would have imagined this for herself, being the bride walking down an aisle. She was choked up at just how happy she was to have this day. The music started and the doors opened, cueing her to start walking down the aisle. Several Nelson men had offered to walk her down the aisle, but she had chosen to walk it alone. She thought of it as letting her own father walk her down the aisle.  
She smiled as she moved forward towards everyone she loved in her life, and towards the man she loved the most.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! As always, Kudos and Comments are my favorite way to hear from readers!


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